IKEA Range & Supply has the responsibility to develop, design, produce and supply IKEA stores with home furnishing solutions available to the many people. Each year IKEA Range & Supply introduces 2,000 new products in the IKEA stores. The total range is almost 10,000 products.

We now have a fantastic opportunity for a Material & Technology Engineer to join the Category Area Flatline. We are looking for you who are a senior technician with expert knowledge in wood veneer. If you are the right person for this position, we can offer you an assignment in a global organisation with great development potential, where your ideas are heard and where the goal always is “to create a better everyday life for the many people”!

Category Area – Flatline

The introduction of the flatpack revolutionized our logistics efficiency. At IKEA, innovation arises from teamwork. It involves a lot of people from different competency areas working together on our suppliers’ factory floor. This was especially true during the process that led to easy assembly with the patented wedge dowel, resulting in shorter assembly time. EKET and PLATSA are among the first easy assembly products. 

In Category Area Flatline, we work with foil furniture, veneer furniture and pigment lacquered furniture applied on different board materials. This includes LACK, the most sold table in the world as well as other iconic products such as BILLY and HEMNES. As strong enablers for future competitive advantage, we have been focusing on developing new materials and technologies to improve durability, light weight, humidity stability and sustainability.

About the job

As a Material & Technology Engineer within the Category Area Flatline, you will be a key contributor, initiating and leading material & technology development and improvement of existing materials and technologies in order to improve performance, durability, cost effectiveness and sustainability of products. You will secure category specific knowledge of Materials and Technologies and clarify and maintain current IKEA standards to ensure IKEA’s competitive advantage.

About the assignment 

- Initiate and lead material & technology development/improvement projects;
- Continuously search for and be updated on developments in the assigned specialist area (internal and external);
and share to relevant stakeholders
- Participate in Material & Innovation development projects for new materials & technologies in alignment with the range and business needs;
- Be the speaking partner to purchasing teams and Home Furnishing Businesses to identify & use production and material potentials in the product development, with know-how in construction, material, production and technical platforms;
- Together with the Product Development teams (POD-teams) secure an effective utilization and implementation of new materials and technologies in the product development process to achieve better quality and lower cost;
- Sustain and communicate specifications and standards for relevant materials as well as support in developing new test methods in cooperation with Test Lab, Product Requirement and compliance (PR&C) and relevant industry partners;
- Secure knowledge sharing and lead material specific trainings;
- Secure usage of standards when possible and/or standardization of existing and proven materials.

With solid knowledge and experience of veneer materials (e.g. beech veneer) production processes and material characteristics, you have the ability to combine long and short term view in a complex environment and deliver excellent results. You enjoy working with supplier development utilizing and sharing your material and production technology knowledge and experience. You influence others through cooperation and networking and have a strong drive, combining analytical approach with being business minded. 

IKEA of Sweden is a truly global environment, with colleagues from all over the world. You therefore need to be fluent in English, both spoken and written.

For questions regarding the recruitment process, please contact Recruitment Specialist Johanna Hansson +46 73 376 1744. For questions regarding the role please contact Lars Lindvall +46 73 232 1020.

Please send your application – CV and letter of motivation – in English by 21st September 2018. We really want to get to know you, so make sure you tell us why you would be a good fit for this role. We will be interviewing continuously, which means that we may close the application process earlier than stated if we find the right candidates.